The Corner Penthouse

Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale are responsible for the ultimate time travel movie of my generation, Back to the Future. Way before that, both made their major motion picture debut with another film that took place in the past, I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978). What's it all about? Read on to find out...


On February 9, 1964, the Beatles made their first live appearance on American television on The Ed Sullivan Show, ratcheting up the frenzy of a fanbase whose ecstatic devotion to the band heralded an explosive new wave of youth culture. I Wanna Hold Your Hand looks back to that fateful weekend, following six teenagers, each with their own reasons for wanting to see the Fab Four, from New Jersey to Manhattan on a madcap mission to meet the band and score tickets to the show.


The main characters are Rosie (Wendy Jo Sperber), an obsessed fangirl in love with Paul...not me, but McCartney; Janis (Susan Kendall Newman), who hates the band and tries to protest them much to her friends chagrin; Grace (Theresa Saldana), who wants to interview the band to further her journalistic career; Pam (Allen), a bride-to-be who's going along with her friends; Tony (Bobby DiCicco), a Four Seasons fan who hates everything the band stands for; Larry (Marc McClure), who drives the group around even though he doesn't have a license; and Richard 'Ringo' Klaus (Eddie Deezen), a Beatles fan even more obsessed than Rosie.


I Wanna Hold Your Hand was part of a 1970s nostalgia of the American 1950s to mid-1960s, which includes films and television series such as American Graffiti, American Hot Wax, The Hollywood Knights, Grease, and Happy Days. Like Back to the Future, Zemeckis and Gale give the film a dose of sweet nostalgia with characters that are impossible not to like. That's why, even though I wasn't alive back in 1964, and never experienced "Beatlemania", I was thoroughly engaged with this crew and rooting for them every step of the way. Together, the group get into some madcap antics that could never happen today. This fact becomes abundantly clear when you see characters jumping out of cars and racing through hotel hallways in order to get to a pay phone so they could call up a radio station in order to answer trivia questions. With nearly everyone having a cell phone today, such events like in the film was be rather boring and mundane if this took place in modern times.


Ghostbusters fans may be interested in seeing The Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, which portrayed the Sedgewick Hotel, being used extensively here for the alley and interiors of the hotel where The Beatles are staying at. Furthermore, Back to the Future (and Zemeckis/Gale) fans may be interested in seeing the first appearance of Officers Reese and Foley. Finally, those looking for film flubs, and Los Angeles residents, may get a kick out of seeing L.A. landmark, the Eastern Columbia Building, prominently in the background of the scene atop the CBS Studios in New York.


At a runtime of 1:39:17 (including a 13-second Criterion logo before the film), I Wanna Hold Your Hand is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a 1080p transfer. On the audio side, there is an English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track. The film includes English SDH subtitles, but they contain one notable error. At 40:45, when Klaus (Eddie Deezen) mentions George Harrison's birthday, he says, "February 25, 1943", which is correct, but the subtitles incorrectly say "February 23, 1943". The new cover artwork by Manasseh Johnson features charactures of the main cast, which looks really weird to me. It's good art, but I have to wonder why they didn't use a cast photo instead.


A nice selection of new and old bonus features can be found on the disc. The disc includes the commentary track from Universal's previous DVD release, but not the 30-image photo gallery.

• Audio Commentary - This commentary featuring director and co-writer Robert Zemeckis, and co-writer Bob Gale was recorded in 2004.
• Spielberg, Zemeckis, and Gale (41:57) - In this interview, recorded for the Criterion Collection in 2018, executive producer Steven Spielberg, director-cowriter Robert Zemeckis, and cowriter Bob Gale reminisce about shooting I Wanna to Hold Your Hand.
• Allen and McClure (22:15) - Actress Nancy Allen and Marc McClure were interviewed in the fall of 2018 in Los Angeles.
• Early Short Film: The Lift (1972) (7:21) - Robert Zemeckis wrote and directed this short film while a student at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. It's the tale of one man's (Michael Fuller) struggle with the elevator in his apartment building. There is no dialog, just sound effects and a light jazz score. Bob Gale was a production assistant. (1.33:1 aspect ratio, black & white)
• Early Short Film: A Field of Honor (1973) (14:16) - Robert Zemeckis wrote and directed this short film while a student at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. Vic Fury (Peter Belcher), a post-war vet, leaves his psychiatrist's (Roger Vaughn) office, only to find Los Angeles to be more of a battlefield than the one he left behind. His paraplegic veteran father (Roger Pancake) only makes matters worse. Music composed by Elmer Bernstein (Ghostbusters), with special effects and titles by Bob Gale. (1.33:1 aspect ratio, color)
• Trailer (1:11) - A vintage trailer for the movie in a 4x3 (1.33:1) aspect ratio.
• Radio Spots (5:24) - Six advertisements heard while a cast photo appears on-screen.

Criterion is one of the few companies left who puts a little care into their packaging, and I Wanna Hold Your Hand is no exception. The Blu-ray is stored in a slightly thick clear standard-size Blu-ray case. Inside is a fold-out booklet featuring the essay "All Perfectly Normal" by Scott Tobias, technical credits, and cast and crew information. The disc face looks like the Beatles' "I Want To Hold Your Hand" record seen spinning on the turntable in the record store scene, while inside the case is photo of Beatles' doubles on stage. My only complaint, and it's a minor one, is that it uses a case that's a lot thicker (like a PlayStation 3 game case) than is needed for one disc and a fairly thin booklet, but it's the standard clear case that Criterion uses for all their releases, so it is what it is.


I Wanna Hold Your Hand is available on Blu-Ray and DVD. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this new Criterion Collection release.


All images were taken from the IMDB gallery of the film. The Blu-ray has been provided by Criterion for review on this site.